1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with pattern making apparatus suited for use by upholsterers or other craftsmen in order to facilitate making of a pattern for seat cushions or other upholstery items. However, the invention is in no way limited to this particular end use, and variants of the preferred embodiment can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as for producing a pattern of irregular wall configuration. More particularly, the invention is concerned with an improved pattern maker which includes a plurality of elongated rods which cooperatively and slidably carry elongated web means at the outer ends of the rods; the rods are in turn mounted for individual axial shifting thereof as needed to conform to a particular configuration, and in preferred forms the respective rods are laterally shiftable and rotatable to facilitate proper adjustment thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The problem of pattern making with respect to irregular surfaces or objects has long presented problems for craftsmen. For example, upholsterers often need to make patterns of seat cushions and the like in order to prepare a replacement fabric for the cushion. The traditional cut and try method of pattern making in such instances is a costly and time consuming procedure, even for a skilled upholsterer. However, any pattern making apparatus designed to facilitate this operation must be of relatively small size, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive, or no real advantage is gained through the use thereof.
The problem of pattern making is also confronted in connection with irregular wall configurations such as archways or the like. Here again, the traditional approach has been to approximate the configuration and attempt to achieve a final result by additional refinements of the original approximation.
In view of the above, it will be readily apparent that a truly simple and efficient pattern maker adaptable for a wide variety of uses such as those outlined above would represent a real breakthrough in the art.
One type of pattern maker heretofore known is used by tile setters and comprises a plurality of shiftable pins mounted in an appropriate holder. When a pipe or other obstruction is encountered during a tiling job, an outline of the obstruction is taken by appropriate adjustment of the pins to conform to the outline, and the tile is thereafter cut accordingly. It will be seen though, that this type of pattern maker does not have universal applicability and cannot really be used in the instances discussed above.